The influence of classical music on figure skating

When assessing the impact of classical music on figure skating, I recall a couple of years ago that Anthony Tommasini, the classical music critic of the New York Times, produced a list of the 10 greatest classical music composers in history. It was a controversial list, but it provides a useful starting point by virtue of the fact that figure skating programs have been developed and choreographed around many of the great works of all of the great composers on the list, which only goes to highlight the enormous influence that classical music has had on it

Here are some links to the great works and the figure skating programs which they have inspired:-

So, what are your favourite classical music inspired figure skating programs (regardless of whether the piece of music was created by a composer on the list or not)? If you can, please provide YouTube links to them

What a crazy list, no Tchaikovsky or Rachmaninov? Bartok?! Verdi? While I agree with Bach should listed as 1st... it is a travesty these 2 greats weren't even featured in the top 10 consider their influential work that made European classics such a universal world wide phenomenon instead of confined to the elitist circles. And I smell politics from this list.

Frankly, list like this just makes London so much more cooler than New York. At least we have Classic FM voted by the people as well the critics. (Yes there are biases, but then at least we acknowledge this.)

Late Romantics generally have better dramatics and theatrics for performance arts in bridging the contemporary with the old, so no wonder Saint-Saëns is so well liked in figure skating. It is impossible not to mention him without Yuna kim's Danse Macabre. Where the rarity of musicality is matched by athleticism virtuosity in equal measures. Where choreography postures and freeze in motion were matched by heart stopping expressions and music realisation. As the violins strings heightens the emotion, the skater continues to bewitching the audience with heart stirring virtuosity beyond which the music notes dictate. It is style matched by substance, a rhythmic fantasy fully realized to one of the most hauntingly lyrical gothic romantic fantasy work; consist of speed, refinement, intensified lyricism that ups the ante at every phrase and pause. A coolness, freedom in the face of jeopardy, spectacular and supernatural personified, display of athleticism for ladies figure skating that is thoroughly modern and unbashingly superb.

If skeletons could blush, you'd see a long row of them at the front row doing the celebration macabre dance right along with the skater as she take the final bows.

OTOH, I am surprised there isn't a figure skating music database like IMDB, that lists all the skaters and their choice of music. Including characteristic of the music. Maybe with a poll to vote for how successful the realisation of the music is by the skater.

When assessing the impact of classical music on figure skating, I recall a couple of years ago that Anthony Tommasini, the classical music critic of the New York Times, produced a list of the 10 greatest classical music composers in history. It was a controversial list, but it provides a useful starting point by virtue of the fact that figure skating programs have been developed and choreographed around many of the great works of all of the great composers on the list, which only goes to highlight the enormous influence that classical music has had on it

...

So, what are your favourite classical music inspired figure skating programs (regardless of whether the piece of music was created by a composer on the list or not)? If you can, please provide YouTube links to them

Click to expand...

Well, this is a bit more challenging than the soundtrack thread, since each of these composers left behind a large body of work. A few more skaters and programs that were not mentioned:

Bach
I'm pretty sure that there are a number of other skaters who skated to Toccata and Fugue, including Tomas Verner.

BeethovenYannick Ponsero skated to some kind of modern version of Symphony no. 5 in a very ugly costume.

Verdi
Javier Fernandez has skated to Rigoletto and other Verdi compositions.

Since I've already mentioned her, Kostner has also had some marvelous classical music programs, such as Pachelbel's Canon, Dumky Trio, and her Shostakovich SP last season. But otherwise, so many skaters have done really good programs to classical music that I don't even know where to start. Other than to say that this would not have been my top ten list

I have never been a big fan of Shostakovich or Kostner but with her SP last season, Carolina had made me a huge fan of her skating and inspired me to put the music on my SD card. I am starting to get Shostakovich thanks to her artistry--she "explained" him to me.

I have never been a big fan of Shostakovich or Kostner but with her SP last season, Carolina had made me a huge fan of her skating and inspired me to put the music on my SD card. I am starting to get Shostakovich thanks to her artistry--she "explained" him to me.

I too like Shostakovich- Brian Orser's LP in 1988 worlds, in particular.

Are they looking at only European composers? - but Chopin would be among them.

I can't add links right now; got to go back to work, but here are a few of mine:

For Ave Maria, I would definitely include T&M's SP in 2005, Annenko-Sretenski's pro and Oksana Baiul's exhibition. Also Krylova-Ovssianikov had a wonderful pro routine to this. Shishkova-Naumov skated a beautiful SP to Ave Maria around 1995 or 1996.

Usova-Zhulin's skate to Mozart is one of my all time favorite program and music.

For Brahms I would add Brasseur & Eisler's SP at the 1994 Olympics- one of the few times I enjoyed their skating as eligible skaters.

Classical music was pop music when figure skating was born, and it never really moved on to a new style.

Click to expand...

I think this is largely true, and even moreso with early 20th century popular dance music and ice dance.

But specifically, I think that legato classical music (and classical-style soundrack music) has always remained most common for skating because most good skating involves legato movement qualities -- with exceptions always welcome as contrast.

The influence of classical music on figure skating is like the lyrics from that song, 1985, by Bowling for Soup when it says "She's still preoccupied with 1985."

Classical music was pop music when figure skating was born, and it is stuck in that style.

Click to expand...

Well, Jazz also came into existence before pop and didnt change its style. I like that different music styles stay different and I think its great that skaters nowadays can choose between so many different music styles, still a lot of them love classics. And a lot of them skated adorable programmes to modern classics, this for example is one that comes immediately to my mind:

There is a gap of 300 years between Bach and Stravinksy, but only about 50 years separating Stravinksy and John Cage or Philip Glass. How does one define "classical music"? And, if one is to include Stravinsky/Debussy and Bach/Mozart in the same category, what about Prokofiev and Ravel, who (along with Stravinsky) were contemporaries with Duke Ellington and in fact had some cross-influence between them (Jazz and "modern classical")?

For Ave Maria, I would definitely include T&M's SP in 2005, Annenko-Sretenski's pro and Oksana Baiul's exhibition. Also Krylova-Ovssianikov had a wonderful pro routine to this. Shishkova-Naumov skated a beautiful SP to Ave Maria around 1995 or 1996.

There is a gap of 300 years between Bach and Stravinksy, but only about 50 years separating Stravinksy and John Cage or Philip Glass. How does one define "classical music"? And, if one is to include Stravinsky/Debussy and Bach/Mozart in the same category, what about Prokofiev and Ravel, who (along with Stravinsky) were contemporaries with Duke Ellington and in fact had some cross-influence between them (Jazz and "modern classical")?

Click to expand...

Defintion from wikipedia: "Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times.The central norms of this tradition became codified between 1550 and 1900, which is known as the common practice period." - Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_music